Born Chogin

Dinner at Tenku RyuGin.

Born Chogin Junmai Daiginjo (梵 超吟 純米大吟醸), 24BY - incredibly fine seimaibuai (精米歩合) of just 20%.  Alcohol was a little sharp, perhaps because it wasn't as cold as it should have been for the first pour.  Pretty full-bodied sake, with very rich and deep flavors, or what Japanese would call "コクがある."  On the palate, it was sweet on the attack, but turned dry and slightly bitter on the finish.  Very much full-on fermented rice flavors.

Full post on dinner is here.

Leflaive, Cos and Sadie

Dinner at On Lot 10.

2003 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles en magnum - familiar nose of toasty oak, very nice on the nose.  Slightly flat on palate at first, with some sweet ripeness but short finish.  Relatively thick and viscous in texture, rounded on the palate.  Pretty enjoyable wine.

1996 Les Pagodes de Cos - smoky, minty, a little earthy, a little brett, pencil lead.  Drinking exactly as it's supposed to.

2012 Sadie Family 'T Voetpad - a very interesting blend of Semillon, Palomino, Chenin Blanc and Muscat de Alexandrie, from old vines planted between 1900 and 1928.  Cleaner and leaner on the palate, with lemon citrus and good minerality.

Full post on dinner is here.

2012 Pierre Sparr

Dinner at San Xi Lou.

2012 Pierre Sparr Riesling Réserve - alcoholic, a hint of ripeness but dry on the palate, with some minerality.

2006 Erdener Prälat Auslese

Dinner at Candlenut in Singapore.

2006 Dr. Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese - marmalade, apricot, a little bit of petrol.  Fairly sweet on the palate, with some acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

83 Grange

Dinner at Harlan Goldstein's Comfort.

1983 Penfolds Grange - decanted and served 45 minutes after opening.  Didn't like the first whiff I got... instantly detected that green pepper, vegetal, wet cardboard nose.  Was this bottle corked?  Definitely possible, but I'm not very sensitive to TCA and this wasn't badly corked.  Initially the nose was a little muted, and when a Grange doesn't explode in your face, that's usually a sign of trouble...  A little smoky at first, and eventually after a long while, the familiar sweet vanilla finally showed up.  Acidity was a little higher than expected.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wine by varietals

Drinking in the office.

2003 Kistler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - very sweet and ripe, alcohol very sharp on the nose, with potpourri and forest notes.  Easy to see why this wasn't popular with the others.

1997 Beringer Merlot Bancroft Ranch Private Reserve - smoky, minty with dried herbs.

1985 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée Madeleine-Collignon par Bouchard - farmy, soy sauce, black olives, a little smoky.  Acidity higher here.

1985 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - farmy, bacon fat, floral, violet. leather.  Absolutely beautiful, and my favorite of the evening.

2005 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard - big, ripe nose of toasty corn.  Sweet and buttery.

2005 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres - slightly leaner than the Kistler but still ripe.  Nice and ready to drink, with more lemon citrus.

von Schubert Herrenberg and Cristal

Dinner at On Lot 10.

1989 von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese - my first sip surprised me with its acidity level, but I think the wine drank better as time went on.  Nice acidity balance with some residual sugar, and a classic German Riesling.

1990 von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese - definitely was a little sweeter on the palate compared to the '89.

2002 Louis Roederer Cristal - heavy nose of toast, minerals and caramel.  Not my favorite vintage, I must say...

Full post on dinner is here.

94 Colgin and 01 Castellare

Dinner at Amuse Bouche.

2001 Castellare di Castellina I Sodi di San Niccolò - initially the nose was simply not clean, a little green and vegetal with wet chalk.  We debated whether the bottle was corked, but decided it wasn't obvious enough.  A little minty with dried herbs.  Very smooth on the palate, with velvety tannins.  Surprisingly for a Sangiovese, this wasn't acidic at all.

1994 Colgin Herb Lamb - wow! Pretty much the way I expected it to be: really exotic, tons of coconut butter, tons of vanilla, very sweet, with lots of tangerine.  Alcoholic a little sharp on the nose.

Drank the leftovers after 24 hours.  The intense vanilla and sweetness on the nose was gone, but the sweetness on the palate remained.  Nose was now more tobacco, smoky, minty, slightly metallic.  Alcohol in the nose was even more sharp and piercing.

Full post on dinner is here.

Juyondai and Bijofu

Dinner at Gin Sai.

Juyondai Special (十四代 秘酒), 25BY - prominent nose of fermented rice and banana.  Very soft and elegant, round on the palate, then slowly builds up to a long and spicy finish.  Seimaibuai of 40%.

Bijofu Yumebakari (美丈夫 夢許), 26BY - nose was very fruity, tropical, melon.  Very full-bodied and more powerful right from the start.  Seimaibuai of 30%.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - 78s and Martha's

MNSC dinner at the Grill Room of Hong Kong Country Club, hosted by the Ox.

1990 Moët and Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - a little plummy, a hint of grass, mineral notes.  Young and fresher than I expected.

1998 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet - very toasty nose, with lots of grilled corn, and citrus notes.  Very clean and powerful on the palate - yet round and soft - with a long finish.  Beautiful!

First flight, decanted 30 minutes prior to serving:

1978 Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle - smoky, tobacco notes, minty and sweet.  A bit of acidity on the palate, and alcoholic.  Later on the nose turned really sweet, with vanilla notes.  94 points.

1978 Beaucastel - a little chalky, some sweet grass, and sharp alcohol.  92 points.

1978 Chave Hermitage Rouge - ripe and sweet, a very big wine.  Black olives, more meaty and minty.  Interestingly the acidity was very obvious in the nose.  Good concentration here.  94 points.

Second flight, decanted 70 minutes before serving:

1988 Heitz Cellars Martha's Vineyard - nose of led pencil, smoky, a little green pepper, a little earthy and mineral.  Very concentrated on the palate, clean with a long finish.  A beautiful wine.  99 points.

1989 Heitz Cellars Martha's Vineyard - a bit smoky, alcoholic.  A little savory, with a little plastic at the end.  Also a beautiful wine.  98 points.

1991 Heitz Cellars Martha's Vineyard - sharp and alcoholic on the nose at first.  A little green pepper and smoky.  96 points.

Full post on dinner is here.